Gas Meter Question

A few months back National Grid sent our road a letter saying they were going to "renew the old pipe" which delivers gas to your property" within the next few months. And would need to gain access simply to turn the supply on and off at the meter.

The meter is a Parkinson Cowan dial meter and was fitted around 30 years ago. Which I thought meant renewing the gas main under the road. (There was a leak a while back and that's where it was). All the houses in this road were built around

1925-30. Last week a chap called and said they may need to install an outside meter, replacing the present indoor meter as well.. When I asked why he says it would be necessary if they couldn't insert the liner (which they apparently are going to fit in the supply pipe) all the way along to the meter. The problem is that my present meter is at the back of a built-in cupboard. It can be read easily enough and the supply lever is easily reached to disconnect the supply. But as things stand the cupboard would need to be dismantled/destroyed if it was necessary to physically disconnect the old meter.

My question is, is there something simple they can do to permanently bypass the meter by making some simple but permanent adjustment ? Which wouldn't necessitate dismantling the built in cupboard.

Thank you

Kevin Miller

Reply to
Kevin Miller
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Sadly no.

Unless you can intercept the output pipe outside the cupboard and let them joint onto that with a new pipe run, leaving it in place but capped off both input and output sides.

Really, the meter should have been accessible by them without major aggravation, but you're starting from here, not there.

Reply to
Tim Watts

IME the National Grid people are very good at getting pipes through pipes. I think they are just covering a worst case scenario. However, they are going to have to disconnect the meter in any case, as they need to remove and replace, the gas tap to insert the new pipe and disconnect the gas meter on the input and possibly the output sides in order to check that the flow rates and pressures are OK. If they fit another meter, they will probably remove the old one as well, so prepare for the worst! Ours was replaced last Xmas and was also built in, I had fortunately designed the cupboards etc to be removable, so although a pain, it was possible.

Reply to
Capitol

Thanks to Tim Watts and Capitol.

It now appears the cupboard can be removed from in front. What appears to have happened is that it's "settled" in the 30 odd years since it was fitted.

Anyway I'll wait until they turn up and see what they say.

Thanks again.

Reply to
Kevin Miller

Over two years ago our street got the same letter, still waiting ...

Reply to
Andy Burns

We had -4 hours notice!

Reply to
Capitol

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